You can help solve Lake Erie’s harmful algal bloom problem with University of Akron spectrometers

September 26, 2018

Cleveland.com – September 26, 2018

UA Ph.D. student Kelly Siman and Assistant Professor Hunter King are working on a user-friendly spectrometer “that can measure phosphorus and nitrates in water throughout the Lake Erie watershed.”

The University of Akron is making low-cost spectrometers that work with an iPhone app to measure phosphorus and nitrates in water, to help find sources of harmful algal blooms in Lake Erie. (Laura Johnston, RocktheLake.com)

Ohio aims to reduce phosphorus runoff into the lake by 40 percent by 2025, to halt the mat of toxic blue-green algae.

But where exactly is the phosphorus coming from? And what can regular people do to help?

A University of Akron lab is working on a low-cost, easy-to-use spectrometer that can measure phosphorus and nitrates in water throughout the Lake Erie watershed, from a backyard stream or a creek near a school. Middle school students, Rotary groups and more can help pinpoint sources of pollution by taking readings with the spectrometer and an iPhone app.

“People in the act of measuring will be part of the solution,” said assistant professor of polymer science Hunter King. “They’ll start to care about the issue.”

While commercial spectrometers can cost thousands of dollars and require intense training, the UA team’s spectrometer costs about $40.

It uses laser-cut and 3D-printed materials, a light and mirror to show how light is absorbed by a water sample mixed with a reagent. The colors missing in the resulting rainbow show how much phosphorus or nitrates are in the water. The app sends the information directly to researchers, providing lots of data to figure out where and when nutrients are flowing into the lake